Secret Lost
by iamsamsamiam
Summary: Kate has another secret.
1. Default Chapter

Sawyer continued along the now well-worn trail, as the sound of the beach faded, giving way to those of the jungle.

They'd been stuck on this island for almost two months now, and though he'd never admit it, he didn't mind all that much. There were certainly worse place he could be stuck, that was for damn sure. Life here wasn't so hard, at least not for him. He spent most of his days lying on a beautiful beach, drinking coconut milk, and enjoying the views - and he didn't just mean the scenery. Fact is, as luck would have it, there were some beautiful gals stuck on this island with him, and there was one in particular that he couldn't keep his mind off of. His near daily fruit gathering trips into the jungle with her were his only contribution to the group of survivors. Of course, contributing wasn't really his reason for doing it. He looked forward to the time spent alone with her. Teasing her was one of his favorite pastimes. God, she was gorgeous when he got her riled up, and it was so easy to do. Recently though, she hadn't been quite the same. He couldn't put his finger on exactly what the change was, but it was definitely something, and it had him curious.

Not hearing her footsteps behind him, Sawyer stopped and turned around to wait for her. Usually she was the one leading the way, the first to cross a stream or climb up a tree, but lately she seemed to have lost some of that vitality that he'd found so attractive.

He raised his head as she came into view though the trees. "Come on Freckles, let's pick up the pace already", he called out to her as she approached. He heard her grumble something under her breath in response and chuckled.

"What's that Freckles? I couldn't quite hear ya."

"Damnit Sawyer, can't you just call me by my name? What's the rush anyway, it's not as if you have anything else you're going to do?"

When she caught up to him, he noticed she was out of breath and looking a little pale, even for her. "You alright there Freckles? You're lookin' kinda pasty. You're not going to puke on me again, like the other day, are you?"

She shot him a glare. "If you're sick" he continued, "you should go see the good doc. I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking a look at you, if you know what I mean".

"Leave it alone, Sawyer", she warned. "I'm fine, it's just so damned hot today", she said, taking a drink from her water bottle and continuing along the trail.

"Well, that may be true today, but you were definitely sick the other day", he persisted, following close behind her.

"God, Sawyer, just leave it alone. I probably just ate some bad fruit or something. I'm not sick, and I don't need to go see Jack. What do you care, anyway?".

"Uh oh, sounds like trouble in paradise! Did you and the hero have a lovers spat?"

"Just shove it, Sawyer".

Sawyer shrugged, and they continued on in silence, stopping occasionally to pick some berries or low-growing fruit. They soon reached a familiar patch of trees, and stopped to look up at one in particular.

"It looks like some of those mangos are near ripe", Sawyer commented. Kate put down her pack and waited. "Well, aren't you going to climb up and get them" Sawyer asked?

"Why is it always me who has to do the climbing", she asked in annoyance?

Now he was a bit perplexed. "I though you liked climbing trees, Freckles. You're like a monkey up there." Kate rolled her eyes at him, doing her best to look annoyed. He realized, though, that it looked more like she was in pain. Maybe she really was sick.

"Of course, if you're not feeling up to it, I suppose I could give it a try".

She didn't like the look on his face. He looked almost concerned, but, she reminded herself, Sawyer isn't concerned with anyone but Sawyer.

"Of course I'm feeling up to it. I told you I'm fine. It just wouldn't hurt you to help once in a while".

With that, she walked up to the tree. Sawyer gave her a boost and watched as she made her way up into the canopy, tossing mangos down to him as she went.

Partway up, she paused to steady herself against the trunk, willing her head to clear. Sawyer had been right, she admitted to herself; she wasn't feeling up to this. She wasn't feeling particularly nauseous today, for a change, but her stomach had been hurting since this morning, and she'd started to feel a bit light headed. She didn't want to think about what this meant. "I shouldn't be up here", she thought to herself. "Why do I let Sawyer get to me like this?"

"What ya doin' up there, Freckles?" Sawyer called. "Do you see any more ripe ones?"

Kate reached above her, picking one last big mango. She dropped it down without warning, hoping it would hit him on the head.

She heard a yelp, and smiled. "Jeeze, watch where you're dropping those things killer", he yelled up.

"Think we've got enough now?" she asked, starting to make her way down, which was difficult, with her head swimming.

"Yeah, yeah, come on down before you kill me with those things", he said, rubbing his shoulder. As she continued down the branches, Sawyer began loading the pile of mangos into Kate's backpack.

"Just a little farther", she told herself, one branch at a time". With just a few branches to go, Kate suddenly lost her grip when another pain shot through her stomach. She was falling. She hit branch and then landed on the ground with a thud.

Hearing the thud, Sawyer stopped what he was dong and ran towards Kate. She was lying on her back with her eyes closed. He saw a little trickle of blood coming from a small gash on her forehead. Other than that, he didn't see any injuries, but she wasn't moving, and that had him worried. He called her name, and then, when she didn't respond, shook her shoulders. She lurched up with a gasp, startling him, and he noticed her hand went immediately to her stomach.

"Did you hurt your stomach?", he asked, helping her to sit up. She quickly removed her hand, bringing it gingerly to her head instead.

"No", she replied sharply, " I just banged my head on the way down". She looked at the smear blood on her fingertips, and then wiped off the wound with the edge of her shirt. "It's fine", she assured him, getting up and steadying herself against the tree trunk. "It's just a scrape".

"You sure? Jesus Freckles, you scared the shit out of me".

"Of course I'm sure, let's start heading back", she said. She reached for her backpack, but he grabbed it first and swung it onto his back.

"Sawyer, I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own bag", she informed him.

"Just let me carry the damned bag, Freckles". She shrugged, giving up, and let him lead the way back to the beach. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

When they reached the beach, the sun was starting to set across the water. Sawyer unloaded the fruit near the rest of the group's food, and Kate sank down into the sand gratefully. Sawyer again eyed her with concern.

"You sure you're okay? It really wouldn't hurt to let the doc take a look at your head".

Kate sighed, "Really Sawyer, I'm fine. I've got a hard head, I promise".

"Don't I know it" he said with a smile, as he headed towards his tent.

After resting for a few minutes, Kate decided she might feel better after a nice swim to wash away the day's grime. She went a to get a change of clothes and then headed into the forest towards the freshwater pool near the caves. She passed Charlie and Jack, heading in the opposite. She said a quick hello, promising to be back at the beach for dinner in a little while, and hurried on her way.

Since the day they fought over the sliver brief case, the day that Jack had learned the secret of her past, things had changed between them, and that pained her. He had been the one person on this island that she could really talk to, but now they barely spoke at all. They didn't know what to say to each other.

Surely he, and the others as well, would learn her other secret soon enough - the secret she had tried to hide, even from herself. She should have told him before, when she first suspected, but she hadn't been willing to admit it to herself. Now their relationship had changed, and she didn't feel she could go to him. Surely when he did find out he'd be even madder at her, or worse still, disappointed.

As she reached the pool and saw no one was around, Kate stripped off her dirty clothes and sank into the cool water, wishing it could wash away all of her troubles.

A full moon shown down on the beach, as the group of survivors sat around the blazing fire. Everyone seemed content. Locke and Boone had killed a good-sized boar, and Jin and Hurley had managed to catch a fair number of fish. There was plenty of food to go around tonight. Small groups of people were laughing and talking amongst themselves, telling stories and sharing plans.

Sawyer looked across the fire at Kate, who was sitting by herself and seemed to be lost in her own world. He'd noticed she hadn't taken much food tonight. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed this.

The big yellow lab wandered over to her, with begging eyes. Sawyer watched as she slipped him the rest of her fish when she thought no one was looking. The dog licked her in thanks, and then wandered on to beg someone else. Sawyer continued to watch her and saw what appeared to be a look of pain cross her face. She got unsteadily to her feet and left the fire, heading down the beach and toward the edge of the trees. No one else seemed to notice her leave.

Jack, who had been talking with Michael, got up to add more wood to the fire. Sawyer approached him and asked to speak to him. Jack was surprised, and a little skeptical. It was no secret that the two men did not get along. Still, he followed Sawyer away from the fire.

"What's on your mind, Sawyer?" Jack asked.

"It's Freckles" Sawyer said in quietly, and paused, unsure how to continue.

Jack sighed. "What about Kate, Sawyer?

"Well, I know you two had some sort of argument, that you haven't been getting along, and believe me, under most circumstances, that's just fine by me, but . . ."

"Sawyer" Jack warned with frustration, "Is there point to all this".

"Yes, well, the thing is, I was hoping you could but that aside for tonight and go and talk to her, as a doctor, I mean?"

"Is there something wrong with her? Did something happen?" Jack asked, now sounding concerned.

"Well, I'm not sure. She says she's fine, but she's been acting differently lately, not her usual self. She hasn't been eating, the other day she was sick, and she didn't look well today either. She also fell out of a tree when we were picking fruit earlier", he continued.

"Was she hurt?" Jack interrupted.

"Well, she hit her head and scraped it a bit. It didn't look too bad, and she said it was okay. But I think her stomach's been bothering her, too. She looked like she was in pain just a minute ago, and then she got up and headed that way" he pointed in the direction she'd gone. "Look, she'll probably be mad as hell that I'm talking to you about this at all, but could you just go and check on her?"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing Sawyer, are you actually worrying about someone other than yourself?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Are you going to go to her or not, doc?"

"Yeah, I am. If she'll let me."

"Okay, good" Sawyer said, relieved. They walked back to the fire and Sawyer sat down. Jack put one last log on the fire and then said goodnight to the group, saying he was heading back to the caves. He headed across the beach in the direction that Sawyer had indicated, looking for Kate.

Kate stumbled towards the edge of the forest and sat down on a fallen log. The pain was truly like nothing she'd felt before. It left her shaking and gasping for air. Her stomach rebelled, and she threw up what little she had eaten.

She knew what was happening, there was no denying it now. It was probably for the best anyhow. Hadn't part of her been hoping this would happen?

Still, another part of her was devastated. And she was scared and alone. Maybe she would die out here, alone in this jungle, perhaps the mysterious beast would drag her body away. It wouldn't be so bad, would it? At least it would be over.

She let out a sob of frustration and pain. She didn't know what to do. If only she could go to Jack, maybe he could help her. Make it stop. But she couldn't. She'd ruined things between them. Maybe it was better this way, she reasoned. This way he'd never know. No one would have to know. Yes, know one had to know.

As the waves crashed on the shore, and the wind blew through the trees, Kate she heard something else, something close. She strained her ears and thought she head footsteps approaching.

"Kate. . . . Kate, are you there?"

Kate froze; it was Jack's voice.

The others said goodnight, as Jack headed away, looking for Kate. He wasn't sure he wanted to find her. Things had been so strained between them since that day, the day they opened the case. Still, he was a doctor, and he couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way of someone's health.

Jack looked down and noticed fresh footprints in the sand, heading towards the jungle. He followed them, and as he approached the trees, he thought he heard a cry. Then silence.

"Kate . . . Kate, are you there? There was no answer, but he heard a twig snap, somewhere just beyond the edge of the trees, then footsteps, heading further into the jungle. She was running from him.

"Kate!"

"Kate!"

God, he was following her. She couldn't let him find her. He couldn't know. She stumble ahead, further into the jungle. Her breath was coming quickly, and her vision was blurring, but she kept going. She could hear him, not far behind her.

"Come on Kate, stop", he pleaded.

She rushed ahead, but tripped on a root, and fell forward, catching herself on her hands. She let out a cry at the impact, but scrambled up and kept going, steadying herself on trees as she went.

Jack could see her now, not far ahead of him. Luckily the light of the full moon filtered through the trees, making it possible to see.

He saw her stumble and fall to her knees. Now he was really starting to get worried. She pulled herself up and continued, but the fall had slowed her down, and he was gaining on her. He saw her grasping onto trees as she continued, as if she couldn't stay up on her own.

He quickly closed the distance between, reaching out to grab her wrist as she continued forward. She tried to pull her wrist free and keep going, but he held strong, and she started to fall forward.

Jack reached out and grabbed her by the waist, catching her before she hit the ground. He turned her around to face him, and gripped her by the shoulders. She struggled against him, trying to pull away.

"Kate stop! Stop!"

"Jack, let me go" she pleaded.

He could feel her body shaking, as if her legs wouldn't hold her up much longer. He moved them back a little, so she was backed up against a tree. He looked into her face, but she averted her eyes. Even in the dim moonlight, he could see that her skin was too pale and covered with a thin sheen of sweat. Her breathing was rapid and shallow.

"Kate, tell me what's wrong, please".

She tried again to pull away, but he held her tight. "Jack, I'm fine. I'm fine. Let me go".

"Damnit, don't lie to me Kate, you're obviously far from fine". He reached one hand up to her face, tilting it so he could look her in the eye. They were wild and unfocused, a look of pain intense washed across her face, and she let out a cry and grabbed her stomach.

Suddenly, she dropped to her knees and began retching. Jack knelt down beside her, pulling her hair back and rubbing her back as her body convulsed. It soon became clear that there was nothing left in her stomach to be expelled, but that didn't stop her body from trying.

Finally, she stopped and leaned back against the tree. Jack could see tears staining her cheeks. She dragged a hand across her mouth and tried to steady her rapid breathing. She still clutched her stomach.

There was obviously something going on here, certainly more than a simple stomach bug. "Kate. Kate, look at me". To his surprise, she met his eyes. He could see pain and fear in them.

"Kate, I think something's wrong here. I think might have appendicitis. Will you let me take a look at you, please?" She shook her head.

"Kate", he said in frustration.

"I don't have appendicitis, Jack".

"How do you know, Kate?" he demanded.

"Because", she paused, as another look of agony passed over her features, "I had my appendix taken out when I was fourteen".

"Oh. I didn't know that." Jack said. "Still Kate, it has to be something, please let me examine you, I promise I won't hurt you".

"No Jack".

"Is this because of our relationship, because of what happened with the case?" he asked. "Because if it is, it doesn't matter. Kate, what matters is that you're okay. I'm a doctor, maybe I can help".

She gave a strangled, pained laugh. "Jack, I'll be okay. Please, just leave me alone. I'll be okay". With that, she got to her feet and started to head further into the forest. Jack followed behind her. It wasn't long before she stumbled to her knees, gasping.

Jack knelt down behind her, pulling her against his chest. She didn't fight him this time. He pressed his hand to her neck and felt her pulse racing beneath his fingers. Then he reached his hand down, and carefully pressed along her stomach, feeling for any signs of problem. When he reached the lower part, just above her pelvis, she cried out in pain and pushed his had away.

"God Kate, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, I . . ."

She was sobbing now. "It hurts, Jack".

That stunned him, the fact that she was finally admitting it. "I know, I know" he soothed. He scooped her up and headed further into the forest.

"Jack?" she asked between sobs.

"We're going back to my cave, Kate".

She didn't fight him now, just said in a defeated voice as she sniffled into his neck, "this wasn't supposed to happen. You weren't supposed to know".

"Know what, Kate? Know what?"

Suddenly she let out a strangled cry as he felt her whole stiffen in his arms. Then, just as suddenly, she went limp.

Jack increased his pace, hurrying towards the caves. Soon after, he noticed something wet and warm dripping onto his arm, then down his leg. At first he was confused, then his nose registered that familiar coppery smell. It was blood.

His heart froze; he finally understood what was happening. He knew her secret.

"Oh God Kate, why didn't you tell me?" He broke into a run.

By the time he got to the cave and lied her down on a blanket, Jack was frantic. It was pitch black. What he wouldn't give for a damned lantern.

He had no choice. He couldn't do anything until he got a fire started, until he could see. He reached over and felt her pulse again. It had slowed dramatically. He knew why. He was covered in her blood. They both were.

With shaking hands, he turned to the fire. He lit a match, and blew on the small ember that started, willing the branches and logs to catch.

When the fire was burning strong, Jack pulled her over into the light and began to remove her blood-soak clothing. That done, he covered her with another airplane blanket and moved further into the cave, grabbing a bottle of water and some clean cloth.

He rinsed his hands, took a deep breath, and went to work. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much to he could do, he had not equipment, and he was a neurologist, for God's sake. He tried to remember back to his basic medical training, and to his ER rotation so many years before. None of what he'd learned would do him much good in a cave in the jungle, though.

Luckily, the bleeding seemed to have slowed significantly. Her pulse, while slow, was still there. Her skin was cool to the touch, her body was going into shock, but there wasn't much he could do, other than keep her warm.

For the next few hours he stayed by her side, monitoring her pulse and breathing. Finally, the bleeding seemed to have stopped completely. He could have cried from relief.

Using the cloth and water, he did the best he could to clean her up, and then moved her onto a clean blanket. He threw the bloody blankets and cloths in the pile with their clothes, and grabbed a big clean tee-shirt. He sat her up as gently as he could and slipped the sweatshirt over her head. He fed he arms through the sleeves and laid her back down, covering her with the remaining blankets to keep her warm.

Next, Jack dragged one of the detached airplane seats over and elevated her legs on it, trying to direct her blood to where it was needed most. There wasn't much more he could do for her right now. He knew she needed IV fluids, and probably a blood transfusion, but that just wasn't an option here.

Sighing, he moved to her head to examine the wound he noticed earlier. Presumably, the one she'd obtained falling from the tree today. Sawyer was right, it didn't look that bad, but still, it should be cleaned.

Jack grabbed his medical supply bag, gently cleaned off the wound, and spread antibiotic ointment on it. Kate stirred and let out a soft moan. Jack tapped his fingers against her cheek, trying to rouse her.

"Kate. Kate, can you hear me? Come on, Kate."

Her eyes flew open, and she gasped, her hand immediately going to her stomach.

"Kate, does it hurt?" he asked. "Are you in any pain?"

Slowly, she shook head. Her eyes met his with a look of desperate questioning.

Jack bowed his head, not knowing how to tell her this. Finally he said, "I'm sorry Kate. It's over now. But you're going to be okay". She nodded and took a deep breath, as her eyes filled with tears, but she remained silent.

"Why Kate? Why didn't you tell me? All of this time, you could have told me, you know."

Finally she spoke, but he had to strain to hear her. "I couldn't. I just couldn't."

"Why?"

"At first I wasn't sure, and then I didn't want to admit it could be true, even to myself." She let out a sniffle, as tears spilled over her cheeks. "Part of me . . . part of me hoped this would happen. Maybe it's my fault that it did."

"Don't say that Kate" he said, wiping away her tears, "It's not true. These things just happen sometimes. It's not anybody's fault". She nodded and closed her eyes, obviously drifting back to sleep.

"Wait Kate, don't fall asleep yet".

"Tired" she mumbled.

"I know you are, but I need you to drink some water first. We have to get fluids into you." He lifted her head and brought the water to her lips. She took a gulp, but gagged on it, her empty stomach rebelling. She couldn't keep it down, not yet. Jack sighed and rubbed her back, then laid her back down.

"Okay, you can go to sleep. We'll try again later". Her eyes were already closed.

The early morning light filtered into the cave. Jack checked on Kate again, and then stood up. He gathered his near-empty water bottle and the pile of bloody clothes and blankets, and headed out of the cave.

The birds chirped as he headed to the pool. He splashed water on his face, filled the water bottle and then set to work scrubbing cleaning their clothes and blankets, still shaken by the amount of blood on them. When he'd cleaned them as best he could, he wrung them out, gathered everything up, and headed back to the cave.

Jack laid all of the wet things out to dry on the rocks, and then, after checking on Kate one last time, lied down and fell asleep.

Kate awoke to the late morning sun shining on her face. She blinked her eyes, sat up slowly, and looked around, trying to recall where she was. She took in the walls of the cave and saw Jack sleeping on the other side of a now dead fire.

The previous night's events flooded back into her mind. She recalled the pain and fear with a sickening clarity, remembered frantically trying to get away from Jack in the woods. After that, her memories became blurred. She had been in his arms, and then things went black. Her next memory was of waking in the cave last night, seeing Jack's concerned face above her in the flickering firelight. He had told her what had happened, she remembered now. She tried to remember if he'd been angry with her. She didn't think he had been.

She got up and began to fold the blankets she'd been lying on. She quickly noticed she was wearing only a large tee-shirt. Where were her clothes? After looking back at the still sleeping Jack, Kate slowly made her way to the edge of the cave.

The sun was high. It was almost noon. She realized that if she didn't get to her morning chore of filling the group's water bottles soon, people would start to look for her. She couldn't have that. Now, other than Jack, no one had to know what had happened. Maybe it wasn't so bad. They could just pretend it had never happened, go back to their daily lives of being near strangers on this island. That thought filled her with the first hope she'd felt in weeks.

Looking to her right, Kate noticed the clothes and blankets drying on the nearby rocks. Making her way over to them she suppressed a shudder, knowing why they were there. Unfortunately, her clothes were still damp. For the first time, she glanced down and a noticed stark streak of blood on the inside of her pale thighs. Obviously, in his rushed to get her cleaned and covered, Jack had missed some.

Kate looked into the woods, in the direction of the pool. She didn't hear or see anyone. Most likely the others were all down at the beach. Slowly, on shaky legs, Kate made her way to the pool. When she reached it, she pulled off the t-shirt and again sank into the cool dark water. It was hard to believe that she'd been here only last night. Maybe, in a way, the water had washed away her troubles.

She floated peacefully for some time, letting the cool water wash away the blood from her body and the cobwebs from her mind. When her fingers started to wrinkle and a shiver passed through her body, Kate pulled herself out and sat on a warm rock to dry in the sun. She wrung out her hair, and pulled the t-shirt back on. Perhaps her clothes would be dry by now, she thought.

As she stood and began to walk back to the caves, Kate realized that the swim hadn't helped as much as she'd hoped. Her body felt heavy, and her head light. She started to wonder if she'd really be able to get the water today. Of course, she had to. People would wonder if she didn't.

After a few yards, Kate stopped to lean against a palm tree as she tried to catch her breath. Now she was wondering if she'd even make it back to the caves. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to venture out on her own. She could have cried with frustration. She hated being helpless and didn't want to have to call out for Jack to come and help her. Maybe if she rested here for a few more minutes, she would be able to make it back on her own. Kate closed her eyes and focused on slowing her breathing and clearing her mind.


	2. 2

* * *

Sawyer whistled as he headed back toward the pool for the second time this morning. He'd already been there and back once, to fill water bottles for the group, Kate's usual job. He'd wanted to go and check on her then but hadn't gotten up the nerve, truth be told.

Now, as he headed back a second time, he tried to think of a good excuse to stop by Jack's cave. He couldn't have them thinking he'd gone soft. Maybe he'd see if they needed any water.

As he walked past the pool and on towards the caves, still lost in thought, Sawyer nearly walked into the very object of his concern, Kate.

She was leaning against a large palm tree, wearing nothing but a t-shirt that came mid-thigh. From the looks of her wet hair, she'd just come from swimming in the pool.

"Heya Freckles, how ya doin'?", he asked as he came up behind her.

She jumped at his voice, and then let out a grown of frustration, but didn't respond.

"Just what I need," she thought to herself. "As if this situation couldn't get much worse. Maybe if I ignore him, he'll just go away".

"Just going to ignore me, eh?" Sawyer asked.

Slowly, she turned around and faced him. Any jokes he had died on his lips when he saw her face. He wouldn't have thought it possible, but she looked even paler than she had the day before.

"What do you want, Sawyer?", she asked tiredly.

"Jesus, what happened to you? You look worse than you did yesterday, if you don't mind my saying."

"Not today Sawyer, please. Can't you go find someone else to pick on? Now, if you'll excuse me . . ." With that, she turned and headed for the cave, head still spinning. She hoped to God she'd remain upright; otherwise, he'd never let her live it down.

Sawyer watched her go for a moment. When he saw her wobble and start to stumble, he jogged to catch up with her. "Hold on a minute Freckles, maybe you should . . .". Just as he placed a hand on her shoulder, she collapsed backwards into his arms.

* * *

Jack awoke slowly and looked drowsily around the cave. When his eyes came to rest on the folded pile of blankets, he jumped up, remember the events of the night before.

"Where could she be?" he wondered with panic. She certainly couldn't have gotten very far in her weakened state. He had to find her.

He ran out of the cave and looked around, not seeing her anywhere. How could he have let this happen? He shouldn't have fallen asleep, but he truly wouldn't have thought she'd be capable of venturing out on her own.

"Kate," he called, looking around frantically. "Kate, where are you? Answer me, Kate!

* * *

"Shit", Sawyer muttered as he sank down to his knees, bringing her with him.

"Freckles . . . Hey Kate. Kate, wake up, joke's over!", he begged, trying to rouse her.

"Kate? . . . Kate, where are you? Answer me, Kate!" Sawyer heard Jack's calls coming from nearby.

"God," Sawyer thought to himself, "I never thought I'd be so happy to hear that bastard's voice".

"Over here, Jack," he yelled. "She's over here. Hurry up".

Jack heard Sawyer's call and ran towards his voice. He spotted them, Kate lying unconscious against Sawyer.

Jack shook his head as he approached. "What happened?" he asked Sawyer, kneeling down in front of them and reaching to check Kate's pulse.

"I don't know man, she just went down. What the Hell is wrong with her?" Sawyer questioned, although he was beginning to think he knew.

Jack just shook his head again, all his attention turned towards Kate. He called her name, tapping at her check again.

"Let's lie her down", he said to Sawyer. Together, they lowered so she was lying on the ground. Jack continued trying to wake, shaking her gently now.

"Kate. Kate. Come on kiddo, wake up. Wake up now". Finally, she started to stir. "There you go, come on now", Jack encouraged, sounding relieved.

Slowly, she raised her hand to her brow and opened her eyes, looking up to see Sawyer and Jack hovering over her.  
"God," she muttered, "please tell me this isn't happening". This was her worst nightmare, lying helpless on the ground like some damsel in distress while two men stared down at her - especially Sawyer, he'd never let her live this down.

Jack chuckled, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "Sorry Kate, no can do".

She closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head in despair. Jack brushed her wet curls away from her face and asked, "Decided to go for a swim?" he questioned. "God Kate, what were you thinking? You could have drowned."

"I'm sorry" she replied, sounding despondent. "I thought it would help to clear my head. I needed to go. I have to . . . ".

"And did it, Jack interrupted. "Did it help?"

"No," Kate admitted. "At least not for long".

"I can't say I'm surprised, Kate", Jack answered. "How do you feel now?".

Kate sighed, trying to sit up. "I feel okay".

"Kate," Jack warned, gently pushing her back down.

"Really, Jack. I don't feel that bad, just dizzy . . . and tired. Everything's just spinning".

Jack looked at Sawyer, who'd been listening intently, and motioned towards the backpack beside him. "Have you got any water in there?"

"Yeah". Sawyer reached in and handed Jack a bottle.

Jack lifted Kate's head and brought the bottle to her lips. "Drink", he commanded.

She listed, taking a gulp, but choked and sputtered on it. Jack rubbed her back, and, to his relief, it stayed down.

"More, he said. "Just take small sips." Kate took a little more and then shook her head, indicating she was done.

"Alright, that's okay for now," he said. "Come on, let's get you back to the cave. You need to rest". Kate shook her head again.

"No Jack, I need to go".

"Where? Where do you need to go?" he questioned.

"Back to the beach", she answered. "I have to get the water. It's my job. People will wonder if I don't. Please Jack, they can't know," she pleaded. "I don't want them to know". Her eyes welled up and a single tear escaped, rolling down her cheek.

Jack brushed it away and said, "I'm sorry Kate, but that's just not going to be possible for a while. You're going to have to stay here and rest for at least a few days. You need to give your body time to recover".

Kate shook her head yet again, starting to refuse, when Sawyer interrupted, reminding them of his presence.

"Look," he said, "I can take over with the water for a while".

Kate rolled her eyes, giving him an incredulous look.

"Really," he assured her, " I can. In fact, I already did it for today. I was just coming to check if the good doc here needed a refill too. Don't worry, we can just tell the others you have the flu or something and need to rest for a few days. They won't think anything of it. I promise", he rambled.

Kate looked at him, clearly shocked. Jack did too, for that matter. "You'd really do that?" she asked.

"Don't act so shocked. It's not such a big deal. It's not as if I'm that busy."

"Well then, that's settle," Jack announces. "Now let's get you back to the cave so you can rest. Do you think you can walk?", he asked, looking at her doubtfully. "Maybe we should carry you."

"No," Kate responded quickly. "I can walk, just help me up". She held out her hands and Jack pulled her up, wrapping her arm around his shoulder for support. Sawyer grabbed his backpack and followed.

Within a couple of yards, Kate's knees began shaking and she was leaning heavily against Jack. Seeing this, Sawyer took her other arm, as they dragged her towards the cave.

Not long after, Kate's head lolled against Sawyer's shoulder and he knees gave out completely. With Jack's help, Sawyer scooped her up into his arms. "You got her?" Jack questioned.

Sawyer nodded, " Yeah, I've got 'er".

Jack adjusted her t-shirt and felt for her pulse. She opened her eyes and looked at him dazedly.

"You okay?", he questioned?

"Yeah, I'm okay." She assured him drowsily. "I'm just so tired", she said, as her eyes drifted shut.

"Come on", Jack said to Sawyer, "let's get her back".

* * *

When they reached the cave, Sawyer carefully set her down on a row of airplane seats, and Jack covered her with a blanket. They both started at her for a moment, and then Jack headed out of the cave, motioning for Sawyer to follow.

A moment later, Sawyer joined Jack, sitting on a boulder just outside of the cave.

"So Doc," he said, sitting down beside him with a sigh, "I'm guessing she's pregnant, huh?

Jack stared at Sawyer, shocked. "What makes you think that, he finally asked.

"Come on Doc, it doesn't exactly take a brain surgeon to figure it out. . . no offense."


	3. 3

* * *

Jack gave a sad laugh. It was ironic, really. After all, he was a brain surgeon, and he'd had no idea.

"Well," Sawyer asked again, "she is, isn't she? Come on, at this point, you' d might as well . . ."

"Was, Sawyer."

"What?" he asked, not understanding.

"She _was_ pregnant, as in not anymore".

"Oh . . . oh, God", Sawyer said, lowering his head to his hands. "It's my fault, you know", he mumbled into his hands.

"What? I couldn't hear you" Jack questioned.

Sawyer looked up and met Jack's eyes. "I said, it's my fault, at least partly. She shouldn't have climbed up that tree. I knew she wasn't feeling well, but I kept pushing her, egging her on. Then she fell, and it's my fault," Sawyer said with despair.

Jack shook his head, looking at this man who, twenty-four hours ago, he would have sworn incapable of caring about anyone but himself. "Sawyer, it's not your fault. First of all, you and I both now how stubborn Kate can be. If she decided to climb up that tree, you couldn't have done anything to stop her. And second, more importantly, I'm not so sure that it was the fall that caused this to happen."

Sawyer looked up, confused. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

Jack sighed. "I think there was something else going on, something else that caused it. It was . . . complicated".

"Was it bad?" Sawyer questioned.

Jack ran his hands through his hair, remembering the previous night. "Yeah Sawyer, it was. She lost a lot of blood. She really scared me".

"Is that . . . I mean, is that normal?"

"Well, as you point out, I'm a brain surgeon, not an OB/GYN, but still, no. I don't think it was completely normal. There could be any number of things that could have caused it, but I'm not so sure that the fall is one of them, at least not in and of itself. Whatever it was, we're just lucky she seems to be doing okay now, no thanks to me. There really wasn't much that I could do", Jack shuddered.

"Really," Jack continued, "if there's anyone to lay blame on, it's me. I'm a doctor, and I had not idea. I should have noticed, should have seen the signs. Maybe if I hadn't been so set on avoiding her, hadn't let personal issues get in the way. Maybe I could have prevented this if . . ."

Jack looked up and noticed Sawyer giving him a strange look. "What?" he questioned.

Sawyer let out an amused snort.

"What? Jack demanded.

"So you're saying you had absolutely no idea? No idea at all?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying" Jack answered, now getting frustrated. "Come on, it's not like it was that obvious. I mean, I should have picked up that something was up, but . . ."

"No, no. It's not that", Sawyer said. "I'm not accusing you, it's just that . . . well, I kind of assumed that you were the father, that's all".

"Me?" Jack questioned, looking surprised. "No, it's not me. Actually I was ah, I was thinking that maybe it was yours".

"Mine?" Sawyer asked incredulously. "In case you haven't noticed, Doc, the girl can't stand me". He paused in thought and then said, "Shit man, I should be so lucky."

Now it was Jacks' turn to laugh. After sending up a silent prayer of thanks he said, "you and me both, Sawyer, you and me both".

They shared a look of understanding, realizing for the first time that they had something in common.

After a pause Sawyer said, "You know, no matter how sick she is, if she could hear us right now, nothing would keep her from coming out here and kicking both of our asses."

Jack gave a knowing nod. "You're right about that."

* * *


	4. 4

"So Doc," Sawyer asked, "you think she's gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I do. Actually, I'm impressed with how well she's doing already".

Sawyer shot Jack a skeptical look. "And by doing well, you mean collapsing out there in the woods?" he questioned, motioning towards the trees.

"With what she went through, that doesn't really surprise me. I'm actually more surprised that she made it as far as she did. With no transfusions or IV fluids available here, the most important thing right now is to get fluids and nutrients into her so that her body can replenish its blood supply. The fact she was able to keep that water down is a really good start. Other than that," he continued, "she'll just need to rest and take it easy for a while. Getting her to do that may be the biggest challenge".

Looking relieved, Sawyer stood up and brushed off his jeans. "Well then, I'd better head back to the beach, if you guys will be alright here", he said, turning to go.

"Well be fine. I think she'll probably sleep for a good long time. But Sawyer, the others are going to ask about her eventually. She obviously doesn't want them to know. It's going to be hard enough on her that we know".

"Whatever, it's none of their business anyway. We'll just tell them she caught a bad bug or something, that you want to keep her here and keep an eye on her for a few days."

"Yeah, I guess that's what we'll have to do" Jack agreed. "Alright, see you around Sawyer".

Sawyer waved over his shoulder, already headed in the direction of the beach. What a day this was turning out to be.

Jack folded up their now dry clothes and headed back into the cave. He found Kate still fast asleep, just as they had left her.

It was now early evening, and Kate still hadn't stirred. In a way, Jack was glad for that. Rest was what her body need now. Also, he didn't know how things were going to be between them once she did awake. Their relationship had been strained at best before, but now things would be much more complicated.

On the other hand, he was starting to go stir crazy after spending the entire day in the cave. He'd already inventoried and organized all his medical supplies, and read the better part of good-sized book. He didn't know how much longer he could take staying in this cave, but he didn't want to leaver her alone, either.

Regardless, he decided; if she didn't wake up on her own soon, he'd wake her. He wanted to check her over and get some food, water, and medicine into her before he turned in for the night.

Jack worked on starting a fire, and then set about heating water for tea. He had some fruit and dried meat, enough for tonight, but tomorrow he'd have to go and get some more food or have someone bring them some.

As Jack reached to put another log on the fire, he glanced over at Kate and saw, to his surprised, that she was awake and watching him. He brushed off his hands and headed over to her.

"Hey," he said softly, kneeling down in front of her, "have you been up long?" She shook her head in response, starting to sit up. He helped her up and fixed the blanket, and then sat down on the seat beside her, still looking her in the eye.

"How are you feeling?" Jack questioned. Kate shrugged and turned her head away.

"Kate, you're going to need to be a little more descriptive than that", he urged, reaching to feel her forehead for any sign of fever and then for her wrist to take her pulse. She was staring off into space now, seemingly lost in thought. Jack sighed, just watching her for a moment, trying to decide how best to approach this. He'd expected that this was going to be difficult on her.

"Kate". When she didn't respond Jack reached a hand up to her cheek, turning her head to face him. She jumped at his touch, recoiling, and he pulled back his hand.

"Hey, Kate. It's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

She took a deep breath and nodded slightly, indicating it was okay.

"Kate, you're going to have to talk to me".

She closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them and looked into his. "What do you want me to say?" she asked.

Jack smiled in relief. "Well, that's a good start. Why don't you try telling me how you're feeling."

She shrugged.

"With words, Kate", he urged.

"I don't know. I guess okay".

"Okay?" Jack questioned.

"Just strange, I guess. My head hurts a little, but other than that, not bad really. What time is it?"

"The sun just went down about half an hour ago".

"I can't believe I slept that long" she marveled, rubbing her eyes.

"You needed it. Are you hungry at all?" Jack asked, handing her a water bottle.

She shook her head and took a drink. Jack picked up a mango and begun to cut it. When she finished drinking he tried to hand her a piece.

Again she shook her head, refusing it.

"I know you're not hungry, but try some anyway. You need to eat something. If that stays down, then I want to start you on some antibiotics." He explained, placing the piece of fruit in her hand. "Just try a little, Kate."

After staring at it for a minute, she took a small bite of the juicy orange fruit.

"Good," Jack said "but you have to swallow it".

She gave him a pleading look, but then finally swallowed the fruit. He watched her expectantly. A look of panic crossed her face for a moment, but it stayed down.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked. She rolled her eyes at him in response.

"I know," he chuckled, "but try a little more". Jack got up and went to dig around in his medical bag. When he returned with two bottles, Kate had finished a good part of the piece of fruit. She handed the rest to him; clearly indicating that was all she'd have for now. Jack nodded and opened one of the bottles.

"Jack. I'm okay. I don't need anything, really. You should save them incase someone gets sick".

Jack looked at her, surprised. How could such a selfless woman be a killer? It just didn't seem possible. He shook the thought from his mind.

"You do need it, Kate. We have to be very careful. You seem to be doing okay now, but we don't want you developing any kind of infection. It's important. Besides, we actually have a fairly decent supply of antibiotics. Some of the passengers on the flight must have been well prepared."

He poured two pills into his palm and handed them to her along with a bottle of water. "Take them, Kate," he urged.

She nodded reluctantly and swallowed the pills and then looked up to see him opening another bottle.

"What are those?" she asked.

Jack looked up. "These are just painkillers".

"Really Jack, I don't need those; my headache isn't that bad. Please, save them for someone who might need them more latter."

Jack sighed and put the cap back on the bottle. "Okay, you win on this one. But remember, there still here if you need them later, alright?"

"Thanks" Kate said, yawning. Jack smiled. Her eyes were starting to droop.

"You getting tired?" he asked.

She nodded. "I don't know how," she laughed. "I've only been awake for twenty minutes".

"I know, but that's normal. Just lie back and let me take a quick look at you, then you can go back to sleep."

Kate shot him a look, but he ignored it, gently pushing her shoulders until she was lying down on her back. He gently palpated her stomach, feeling for any sign of problem. At a certain point she sucked in sharp breath, drawing Jacks eyes to her face.

"I'm sorry. A little tender there, huh?" Kate nodded.

"Does it hurt there when I'm not touching it too?"

Kate shrugged, "a little".

"Hmm," Jack responded, still feeling around. "I think it's probably normal to have a little soreness and cramping, but you need to tell me if it gets worse, okay?"

Kate nodded.

Jack looked at her seriously. "Kate, I'm serious here. I know you don't like this, but you're going to have to be open with me, okay?

She nodded again, meeting his eyes. "Okay".   
"Good", Jack said covering her with the blankets as her eyes began to drift shut. "I'll be just over there at the fire, you just tell me if you need anything, okay?"

Kate nodded again, now barely awake. Jack gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and walked back to his fire and tepid tea.


	5. 5

* * *

For the third time that night, Jack awoke to Kate's muffled cries. In the dim firelight he saw that she'd managed to fall off of the row of airplane seats and was tossing and turning on the ground, no doubt fighting the invisible monsters of her dreams. 

He quietly made his way over to her and called her name, trying to rouse her gently. When she didn't respond and began thrashing around more wildly, Jack grasped her shoulder and called her name again.

That only agitated her more, and she began fighting against him. Her eyes were open now, but wild and unseeing. "Come on Kate, it's just me," Jack tried to assure her. But his voice didn't register, and she kept struggling. Jack reeled back when her fist made sudden contact with his jaw. He brought his hand to his jaw, knowing it would leave a good bruise.

Kate took the opportunity to shuffle back into the corner, trying to put as much distance between them as she could, now crying hysterically and gasping for air.

Jack wanted to wake her up, to get her to calm down before she hurt herself, but all his attempts just seemed to upset her more. He again approached her, slowly and cautiously, speaking to her in a soothing voice.

In response, she pressed herself further into the corner of the cave and pleaded for him to leave her alone. "Come on Kate," Jack coaxed, "it's me, Jack. You're okay. You're just dreaming. No one's going to hurt you".

"No, please don't. Please leave me alone", she begged.

This was getting to be too much. It was by far the worst of her nightmares yet. The other times she'd been relatively easy to wake. After taking a deep breath, Jack quickly grasped her by both shoulders and gave her a firm shake while loudly calling her name.

She stiffened under his grasp, and her eyes met his. He saw recognition flood into them. "Jack?"

He could have cried with relief. "Yeah, it's me Kate. You're okay. You're okay. It was just a dream."

"No", she gasped, shaking her head, "it was real. It was real". She was gasping now, choking on her sobs, her breath coming rapidly.

"It wasn't Kate. You were asleep. Please, try to calm down, takes some slow, deep breaths".

"I can't," she gasped.

"You can, just in and out".

"No, I . . . . I can't . . . breath," she cried.

She was having full-blown panic attack, Jack realized. She was hyperventilating. "You'll be okay Kate, come here, lets go sit down." Jack dragged her over to the seats and sat her down, pressing her head down between her knees.

"Just concentrate on taking nice slow deep breaths, okay?" he said, slowly rubbing her back.

Soon two minutes had passed, and she was still frantically trying to suck in air. He was surprised she hadn't passed out yet. Deciding to try something else, Jack sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap. She tried to pull away, but he just held her tighter.

"It's okay Kate, just lie back against me. Try to breath with me, okay?" To his relief, she listened. He felt her body relax, and her head lolled against his shoulder.

"I know," he said, "you're probably getting pretty dizzy, huh?" He felt her nod.

"I promise it won't hurt you. Just try to concentrate on my breathing".

She did. Soon Jack could feel her heartbeat slow down. Her breathing began to even out, although it was still punctuated by occasional painful hitches.

"There you go, that's good," he encouraged. "Does that feel a little better?"

She took a deep, shaking breath and nodded against him.

"Boy, that must have been some nightmare".

He felt her nod again. "I'm sorry," she said hoarsely.

"You don't have to apologize Kate. It's not you're fault".

"No," she insisted, "I'm sorry for everything".

"Kate, it's okay. None of this is your fault." Feeling her shudder, Jack reached for a blanket and tucked it around them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked carefully.

"About what?"

"Anything. About your dream? About what happened last night? About the weather? Whatever you want."

She gave a sad laugh at that, but shook her head. "I'm sorry".

"No, it's okay. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. Just know that if you want to later, I'll listen. I'm sorry if you didn't feel like you could talk to me before."

She sniffled and nodded her head. "Thank you, Jack".

* * *

The birds were chirping as Sawyer made his way towards the cave the next morning, carrying a bag full of empty water bottles. He just had to pick up Jack's bottles, and then he could go fill them all at the pool nearby. He also wanted to see how Jack's patient was doing. 

He reached the cave and found it silent. Quietly, he stepped inside. When his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw them both on the row of seats. Kate was lying down, curled up on her side with her head resting on Jack's lap. Jack had a protective hand laid on her shoulder.

Sawyer quickly turned away, feeling like he was intruding. He tried todeny the pang of jealously that shot through him. Spying Jack's near empty water bottle, Sawyer picked it up and headed quickly out of the cave.

* * *


	6. 6

* * *

When Sawyer returned to the cave, his bag heavy with water, he found Jack sitting outside on a rock. Jack looked up and waved as sawyer approached. 

"Mornin' Doc," Sawyer replied. As he got close, Sawyer noticed and angry looking bruise on Jack's Jaw.

"Ouch, rough night" Sawyer commented, indicating the bruise.

"Yeah," Jack said, bringing a hand to the bruise, "it was."

"Geeze, did she belt you?" Sawyer asked, joining Jack on the rock.

"Well yeah, she did, but she was dreaming. She had some whopping nightmares last night. I got a little to close during one of them".

"Yeah," Sawyer nodded, "she has some pretty intense ones".

"Really?" Jack questioned, clearly surprised. "How long has this been going on?"

"Oh, off and on the whole time we've been on this damn island. I learned pretty quickly not to ask about them, though I assume they're about the crash. I think we've all dreamed about that, from time to time."

"Hmm, maybe", Jack said thoughtfully.

"So, other than the dreams, how is she?"

"I think she's doing okay. She just slept a lot. Other than the dreams, she was only awake for about twenty minutes since you left yesterday."

"Did you ask her who the father was?"

Jack chuckled, "No, I didn't. Not that I'm not curious, though. She really wasn't very talkative. Just getting her to speak at all was like pulling teeth. Besides, if I had asked her, I'm pretty sure she would have belted me on purpose".

"Yeah," Sawyer laughed, "I'm sure she would have. Well, I love a good mystery. Oh, here, I almost forgot", Sawyer said, handing Jack a full water bottle.

"Thanks man, thanks for doing this. I'm sure she appreciates it."

"It's not a problem. Look, I'd better get back and hand the rest of these out", Sawyer said, starting to rise.

"Wait," Jack called "do you think you could do me a favor?"

Sawyer looked at him skeptically, "what do you need?"

"How about we switch places for a while. I need to head down to the beach and check up on some people, there seems to be a bug going around. I also need to stock up on food. I just don't want to leave her alone. I can hand out the water bottles if you stay here with her".

"Well, okay", Sawyer said reluctantly, "but what if she wakes up?"

"She probably won't, but if she does just try to get some food and water into her. There's a banana by the fire, see if you can get her to eat some of that. If you can, there's also a bottle of antibiotics. She should take two of those. Other than that, not much. Just sit with her. I won't be gone too long. Two hours, tops, okay?"

"Alright", Sawyer said, not sounding convinced.

"You'll do fine" Jack assured him. With that, he picked up the bag and head towards the beach.

* * *

Sawyer paced around in front of the cave for nearly twenty minutes before moving inside. Again, it took his eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim light. Once they had, he quietly made his way to the seats where Kate was sleeping.

She was lying on her side, with her head in the crook of her arm. Dark curls cascaded across her face and shoulders. Even in the dim light, he could see she was still pale. She was beautiful, though, perhaps more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. In sleep she had certain delicateness that she normally kept hidden in the daytime. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed this. On the beach, he often watched her sleep in the moonlight when no one else was around.

For what seemed like forever, Sawyer sat on the cave floor, watching Kate's every breath. At some point he noticed her breathing increase and her forehead wrinkle. Curious, he moved close until he was kneeling right in front of her, looking down at her face. Even in the dim light of the cave he could clearly see those freckles of hers that he so adored.

With a sharp intake of breath, Kate suddenly shot up, nearly banging heads with Sawyer. He pulled back just in time, clearly startled. For a moment, they just started at each other in shock, Kate's rapid breathing echoing through the cave.

"Jesus Christ, Freckles, you scared me half to death", Sawyer exclaimed. She didn't respond, her eyes darted around the cave in panic, and her breaths came in gasps. Sawyer started to get concerned.

"Hey. Hey, are you okay?" he asked? Her eyes met his, and they stared at each other silently.

"Hey," he said, as his hand reached for her cheek. "Kate? Kate, are you okay?

She continued to stare at him, unspeaking, taking in the strange new expression on his face – concern. Finally, she gave asurprised look.

"What?" he asked.

"Sawyer?" she questioned breathlessly.

"Yes?"

"You haven't gone soft on me, have you?"

He laughed in surprise, and ran hand through his hair, considering her question.

"You know, I think I just might have."

Kate gave a frustrated sigh and lowered her eyes.

"Don't worry," he chuckled, "I'm sure in a few days I'll be back to back to my old obnoxious self, okay?"

She had to smile at that.

Try as he might, Sawyer couldn't recall that beautiful smile of hers ever having been direct at him before.

He was looking at her funny, Kate noticed. "What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he said, looking away quickly. "It's nothing".

She shrugged and looked around the cave as if searching for something.

"The doc went to go check out the folks at the beach. He should be back in a bit", Sawyer said, answering her unasked question.

Kate nodded. "And he left you to stand guard?" she questioned, with skeptical amusement.

"Yeah, something like that. Here," he said, reaching for a banana and handing it to her. Eat up". She wrinkled her nose, but took it.

"I'll be right back", Sawyer said, heading out of the cave. He returned, water bottle in hand, and sat down next to her. He put the bottle down on the seat and took the untouched banana from her hand, peeling it for her.

"Come on," he urged putting it back in her hand and guiding it towards her mouth, "doctor's orders".

She rolled her eyes at him, but took a hesitant bite. Once she seemed to be eating it on her own, he turned to grab the antibiotics. When she'd finished about half she shook her head and held it out to him.

"All done?" he questioned. At her nod, he held out the antibiotics to her. "Here, how about we trade?"

She accepted the pills and washed them down with the water he offered. Their eyes met, and a look of confusion - perhaps worry, crossed her face.

"Watcha thinkin' about?" he asked.

"Sawyer, were . . . . you were here before, yesterday I guess, outside?", she questioned, now staring into her lap.

"Yeah. I was. You don't remember?"

Still looking down she replied quietly, "I think I doa little, it's kind of fuzzy. So, you. . . you know, then?"

Sawyer sighed and reached to tip her face up, so he could see it. "Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry, Kate. I'm sorry . . ."

She shook her head defiantly, stopping him. She looked like she was fighting back tears.

"I know you probably didn't want me to know," he continued, and she nodded.

"I'm going to kill Jack", she muttered under her breath.

"As much as that might please me," he said, "it's not his fault. I already knew, or suspected at least. I asked him".

She looked up at him skeptically.

"Really. I'm more observant than you think, I guess".

"Fine," she responded coolly, after a pause. "But you'd better not tell anyone else. I don't want everyone's pity".

Sawyer nodded in agreement. "You're secret's safe with me".

"Good," she said definitively, clearly ending the conversation.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment. Kate looked down at her bare legs, noticing them for the first time, and then looked around the cave.

"Have you seen my clothes?" she finally asked.

Sawyer got up and grabbed them from a pile. "Need any help?" he asked with a sly smile.

"You wish", Kate replied, indicating for him to turn around.

When he had, she stood up, with a supportive hand on the back of the seat, and pulled on her underwear and pants. "Okay, all set".

Sawyer turned around and saw her heading unsteadily towards the mouth of the cave.

"Hey," he said, rushing to grasp her elbow for support, "where do you think you're going?"

She let out a frustrate breath. "Bathroom, if that's alright with you".

"I don't know, Kate," Sawyer said with concern.

"Well", Kate huffed. "I do know. It's my bladder".

He had to laugh at that. "Okay, but at least let me walk you out".

She let him, and he lead her out of the cave and towards the trees. She stopped and gave him a look that clearly indicated he should scram.

"Okay, I'll be right over there by the cave. Just holler if you need anything. And if you're not back here in a couple of minutes, I'm coming after you".

"I'll be fine" she assured him, a hint of frustration in her voice.

With that, Kate headed further into the brush while Sawyer turned around and walked back toward the cave, taking a seat on the rock to wait.

* * *


	7. 7

* * *

Sawyer sat on the rock, chewing on twig and waiting for Kate. He heard leaves rustling and turned to see her emerging from the trees. With a relieved smile, he got up and headed to meet her. 

"Better?" he questioned, as he reached her and offered an arm for support.

"Yeah, much" she answered breathlessly, gratefully taking his offered arm.

With concern, Sawyer noticed she was leaning on him heavily.

"Hey, are you going to make it? Do you want me to carry you back?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm okay", she assured him. Glancing at a nearby tree she said, "can we sit down for a minute, though?"

"Sure we can," he said, leading her over to the tree and lowering them both down so that they were resting against its broad trunk.

"Thanks," she said softly, dropping her head to her bent knees.

"Hey," he said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder, "what's wrong? Are you dizzy?"

She nodded against her knees, and he rubbed her back awkwardly, not knowing what to do to help her.

He felt he take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's okay.I just need a minute, really" she said, her voice muffled.

Sawyer continued rubbing her back. After a couple of minutes passed,Kate lifted head from her knees and turned to look at him.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little. Thanks".

"You ready to head back to the cave?" he asked, already moving to stand.

She shook her head. "Can we just stay out here a little longer?" she questioned. "It's nice to be outside for a change."

"Of course we can, Freckles, we've got all the time in the world".

She had to laugh at that. "I guess we do, don't we?" she said, leaning just slightly against him.

"Yep, it's about the only thing we got".

That sat in silence for a while, listening to the birds in the trees above.

Sawyer was the first to speak, rousing her from a daydream.

"Hey," he said softly, "can I ask you something?"

She looked at him, unsure, and then nodded.

"You don't have to answer it if you don't want to. It ain't really none of my business, but I've been wonderin' . . . well", he paused.

Kate had a pretty good idea where his question was going. She'd been expecting this.

He continued, hesitantly, "well, the baby, was it. . . was it a wanted pregnancy?"

The question surprised her. She'd assumed he'd ask who the father was. She dropped her head for a moment, taking a slow breath, and then met Sawyers questioning eyes.

She shook her head. "No Sawyer, it wasn't. It wasn't even wanted sex."

She watched his face, waiting for what she'd said to sink in. She knew the second it did. "Kate" he said shaking his head sadly, not knowing what to say.

"It's okay. Really, it is. I'm okay" she assured him, but he didn't look convinced.

"Tell me."

Kate leaned back against the tree and told him everything.

* * *

Jack headed back towards the cave with a full bag on his back. In his hand, he held a stick with three fish, skewered through the gills. Just as he reached the mouth of the cave, he noticed Kate and Sawyer sitting against a nearby tree.

At first glance, he thought Kate was sleeping. She was a sitting, arms around her knees, leaning against the tree, shoulder to should with Sawyer. Her eyes were closed, but he soon noticed that her lips were moving.

Sawyersaw him and waved. Jack waved back, and then went into the cave to put down his things. He came out a moment later and headed towards Kate and Sawyer.

"Look who's up and about," he said cheerfully as her approached them.

Kate opened her eyes at his voice and gave him a sarcastic look.

"Okay, well about, anyway" he amended with smile. "and that's a good start. What were you doing out here?"

"Bathroom" she answered, motioning towards the trees with her head, closing her eyes again.

"Well that's good. At least you're not completely dehydrated. But what are you doing here?"

"She got dizzy," Sawyer informed him.

Jack nodded kneeled down in front of her. "Panic attack dizzy, or just dizzy?" he questioned.

"Just dizzy" she answered, her eyes still closed.

"Alright. I'm just going to take your pulse, okay?" he asked, reaching for her neck at her nod. He'd learned pretty quickly that it was better to announce his intentions, rather than risk startling her at his touch. "Are you still feeling dizzy," he asked, his hand moving to her forehead to feel for fever.

"A little," she admitted "but not as bad as before." Her eyes opened and met his. They wandered over his face. "Jack?" she said, in a pained voice, reaching a gentle hand out to his jaw.

His hand met hers. "It's okay, Kate"

She shook her head sadly, "I did that? I'm sorry."

"You were dreaming and I got too close. It's not your fault. Besides, it will go away in a couple of days, I promise."

She nodded and closed her eyes yet again, stifling a yawn. "I'm still sorry, though".

"I know you are."

They both watched her, clearly starting to fall asleep. She was leaning more heavily on Sawyer.

"Come on Freckles" Sawyer joked, shaking her gently. " You can't fall asleep out here, let's head back".

She let out another yawn, rubbed her eyes, and nodded, moving to get up. Jack and Sawyer each grabbed and arm and pulled her to her feet, and then moved to pick her up.

"No, I'm okay. I can walk" she assured them.

They both looked at her doubtfully. "Kate, no offense, but we've heard that before" Jack said, referring to the day before, when she'd insisted the same and then promptly collapsed.

"Really, I can" she insisted. "It's not far".

"Alright, Jack agreed. But just let us know if you get too tired".

With that, they set out to cover the short distance, one on each side of her.

True to her word, she made it, but they were supporting most of her weight by the time they reached the cave.

Once inside, they led her to the seats, and she collapsed onto them gratefully, lying down and letting her eyes drift shut. Sawyer spread a blanket over her, while Jack tucked it in securely around her.

"You can take a little nap while we make us all some lunch, alright?  
"Mmmhmmm" she mumbled, clearly losing the battle against sleep. They both smiled and left her to rest.

* * *


	8. 8

* * *

Kate woke a while later to the sound of male laughter. She sat up and saw Jack and Sawyer sitting at the fire, talking and joking. They didn't notice as she quietly made her towards them. 

Jack looked up as she reached them. "Hey Kate," he said, still laughing. "I'm sorry. We didn't mean to wake you up."

"Here sleeping beauty, have a seat" Sawyer greeted, patting the dirt floor beside him. "Lunch is almost ready".

Kate nodded and sat down looking at them both warily.

"What is it, Kate?" Jack asked, noting her expression.

She didn't respond, just shook her head slowly, looking back and forth between the two of them.

They were both staring at her know, making her suddenly uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah, I'm okay" she said slowly, "I just feel like I've stepped into some alternate universe, though. When did you two become best girlfriends?"

They both laughed at that.

"I guess we discovered we have more in common than we thought" Sawyer answered truthfully.

"Besides," Jack added, "life's hard enough on this island without having to fight with each other all of the time".

Kate shook her head, amazed. "If I'd known this was all it would take, I would have feigned some catastrophic illness weeks ago."

"Well, we're glad we could please" Jack said with a smile..

"Looks like the fish is about done" Sawyer announced, removing the spit from the fire.

Jack handed Kate a piece of mango, which she took willingly and began to suck on.

Jack produced some plastic airplane trays, and Sawyer put a fish on each of them. He moved to hand one to Kate, but she wrinkled up her nose and made no move to take it. Jack took the tray from Sawyer.

"Doesn't look too appetizing, huh?" Jack asked her as he began to cut it up.

"Not really" she said, relieved that he'd taken it.

Her relief didn't last long, though. He was soon handing her a clean tray with small portion of cleaned fish and another piece of mango. She tried to refuse, but he didn't let her this time.

"Come on, Kate. You've got to eat a little, whether you like it or not. It's the only way you're going to get your strength back".

She let out a frustrated sigh and took the tray from him. They both watched her expectantly as she picked up a small piece of the flaky white meat.

"Will you quit staring at me?" she begged, clearly tiring of their attentions.

Jack and Sawyer turned to their own meals, each occasionally stealing glances to be sure she was still eating.

After eating about half of her meal, Kate put down the tray and pushed it away from her. She looked Jack in the eye defiantly, and he knew that was the best they were going to do for now.

"Alright," he chuckled "you win". He handed her a water bottle, and she surprised him by taking a long drink without argument.

"Just let me finish up here," he said, "and then I want to check you over". She rolled her eyes, letting him know she wasn't pleased, but nodded.

Taking that as his cue to leave, Sawyer put down his now empty tray and stood up. "Well, I guess I'd best be heading back to the beach before someone starts to miss me".

Kate shot him a look, clearly not buying it.

"Hey," he laughed, "you never know, it could happen".

"Whatever, Sawyer".

Sawyer ruffled her hair as he walked by, heading out of the cave. "You take it easy, Freckles, and listen to the doc, ya hear? See ya, man" he waved to Jack.

Kate watched him go, shaking her head in amazement.

* * *

Later, Kate sat alone in the cave, watching the fire fade. True to his word, Jack had checked her over thoroughly, asking her a number of questions about things she'd have preferred not to discuss with him. Now he'd gone to the pool to wash off their trays and get fresh water.

She heard footsteps approaching and looked up, surprised that he'd be back so soon. But it wasn't Jack. Sun walked in cautiously, looking around to see if Kate was alone. Kate smiled when she saw her.

"I'm alone," she assured Sun, beckoning her over with her hand. "Jack went down to the pool. He should be gone for a little while".

Relieved, Sun approached Kate and handed her a bouquet of beautiful tropical flowers. Kate accepted them with a smile and buried her nose in them, breathing in their sweet scent.

"I thought they might make you feel better" Sun explained. "Jack and Sawyer said you'd caught a pretty nasty bug.

"You were right. They're wonderful. Thank you Sun." Kate realized, that despite all of her earlier worry, she'd completely forgotten about what the others might be thinking. She'd have to thank Jack and Sawyer for their lie.

"So," Kate said, sitting back and patting the seat next to her, "tell me how's the garden doing."

* * *

Jack headed back to the cave, wondering if he'd find Kate awake. When he got near, he could make out voices. She must have a visitor. The other voice was female, but he couldn't recognize it, which was strange. Whoever it was, he was glad to hear Kate talking freely. She'd been too quiet these past few days.

Jack walked in, prepared to greet their visitor. "Hey Kate, who's the . . . " Jack stopped short when he saw who it was.

At his voice, Sun jumped back up from the seat in panic. Kate looked back and forth between the two of them, unsure what to say.

"She speaks English?" Jack asked, clearly dumbfounded. He turned to Sun, "You speak English? This whole time?"

Sun nodded slowly, and looked to Kate for help.

"Jack", Kate spoke, "you can't tell anyone".

Jack was still looking at Sun. "Does Jin speak English, too?"

"No. My husband does not know. Please, you must not tell him".

"Okay", Jack said. "I don't understand, but okay." Sun didn't look convinced.

"I promise," he assured her, "you're secret's safe with me".

"You can trust him Sun, he won't tell" Kate assured her friend.

Sun smiled with relief. "I should return to the beach. Jin will start to wonder where I am. I'm glad you're going to be okay Kate. I've missed talking with you." She turned to leave.

"Sun" Kate called, causing Sun to turn back, "thank you for coming, and for the flowers. I'm sure I'll be back to the garden soon".

As sun left, Jack sat down heavily next to Kate.

"Well", he said, rubbing his hands over his rough beard, "that was a surprise".

* * *


	9. 9

* * *

Sun's visit had lifted Kate's spirits, but only temporarily. She was feeling better today and not sleeping as much, but the problem was, that gave her time to think. Jack had been in and out of the cave for much of the day,only interactingwith her when he wanted to check her over or give her medicine. 

She'd known this would have happen, really. At first, when she'd been so sick, he had put aside his feelings and cared for her. He'd been sweet and kind, as he would with any patient. But now that she was doing better, things were starting to go back to the way they were before. He was withdrawing; she saw the way he looked at her. It was the same way he had that day when he'd opened the case and he'd learned the truth about her.

As much as she'd expected this, part of her had still hoped that this situation would heal their relationship. In the short time they'd been on this island, she'd come to value their friendship greatly, and it had cut her deeply when he'd pulled away, more so than she cared to admit.

* * *

Jack returned to the cave and found Kate sitting on the seats by the fire, staring into the flames. She was exactly as he'd left her almost an hour before, which worried him. He'd been encouraged by her obvious happiness at Sun's visit earlier, but her light mood had faded fast.

She didn't acknowledge his return. He wondered if she even noticed. Noting the sinking sun, he picked up the bottle of antibiotics and some water and approached her slowly, not wanting to startle her.

"Kate," he called softly as he knelt down in front of her, blocking her view of the fire. She continued to stare straight ahead, as if he wasn't there at all.

"Kate", he said, more firmly this time, reaching for her chin and forcing her eyes to meet his. Her expressionless stare startled him, and he pulled back, releasing his hold. Her eyes sank back down to stare at his feet.

There's that look again, Kate thought painfully. He can't even stand to look at me.

Jack took a deep breath and tried again. "What's wrong, Kate? Did something happen?" he asked, trying to figure out what had brought on this abrupt change in attitude. She didn't respond.

"Do you feel alright?" he continued. Finally, almost imperceptibly, she nodded.

"Okay. That's good" Jack said, glad she'd given some response.

"Here," he said, shaking out two pills and offering them to her, "time to take these". She ignored him.

"Kate" he said, in a warning tone. She turnedaway fromhim. Getting frustrated, he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around to face. She struggled against him, ineffectively, and shot him a look of pure hatred and determination. Why does she have to be some damned stubborn, he thought.

"Kate, what the hell has gotten into you?" he asked, now clearly angry. She continued to struggle.

"Leave me alone", she said bitterly.

"Kate, don't fight me on this one; you're not going to win. It's too important. If I have to, I'll get Sawyer to help me and we'll force them down your throat."

She stopped and stared at him, clearly shocked by his angry threat. He was glad. That had been his intention. He could tell she was trying to decide if was serious.

"I'm not kidding, Kate" he assured her. "Take them". He held them out to her again, holding his breath as he watched her consider and then reach out and take them. He sighed with relief as she swallowed them.

He felt bad that he'd been so harsh with her, but he hadn't know what else to do. "Kate," he said softly, feeling the need to explain, "I'm sorry I got angry with you, but you have to understand."

She showed no response, but he continued. "Kate, I know you're starting to feel better, and I'm glad that you are, but that doesn't mean that you can stop taking the antibiotics. Without them, you could develop a very serious infection. This isn't something to play around with. Do you understand?"

He heard her say something under her breath, but couldn't make it out.

"What did you say, Kate? I couldn't hear you".

She slowly raised her head and looked him straight in the eye. "I said, what do you care?"

That shocked him. "Kate, where did that come from? Of course I care".

"Oh, I forgot," she said sarcastically, "you're a doctor, you care about all of your patients. Well don't worry. I'll be better soon, and then you can go back to not giving a damn." With that, she got up, taking a pile of blankets, and headed to a far corner of the cave.

"Kate. Kate, come on. That's not fair. You know that's not true", he called after her. Ignoring him, she curled up in the corner, her back to him. Frustrated, Jack stormed out of the cave, suddenly needing some fresh air.

* * *

Once he'd left, Kate finally let go of the sobs she'd been fighting to suppress. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but he'd made her so angry. Now that he'd left, she was embarrassed by how she'd acted and angry with herself for letting him see her emotions so clearly. She couldn't face him again, she realized. She decided that tonight would be her last night at his cave. Tomorrow she'd return to the beach.

* * *

Jack paced around outside the cave, trying to calm down. He'd been shocked by that outburst and felt bad about the way he'd handled it. He should have seen it coming, really. In situations like this, anger was probably a very common response. She needed someone to release that anger on, and he'd been the one there. What worried him more was her comment. Could she really believe he didn't care?

Jack sat down on the rock, suddenly exhausted. The events of the last few days had taken a toll on him too. Their relationship was at such a precarious place, and that was obviously making things more difficult now.

Before, their growing closeness had been his only source of hope and happiness on this island, but then, when he'd learned the truth about her, things had changed. He'd felt betrayed, in a way, and angry with himself for being such a poor judge of character.

But, after having had time to think about it, he'd realized he might have made a mistake. He knew what kind of person she was, and she wasn't a cold-blooded killer. He should given her a chance to explain, but he'd closed off to her. He could still recall the pain in her eyes and her voice when he had.

He realized now, after their argument in the cave, that she still clearly felt that pain. Part of her current distress was directly attributable to him. He should have talked to her about this a long time ago. Certainly, he couldn't put it off any longer.

Taking a deep breath, Jack stood up and headed back into the cave, intent on explaining himself once and for all. But, as he approached her, he saw she was asleep. He watched her closely for a moment, trying to decide if she was faking sleep, but her steady breaths told him she wasn't. In the dim firelight, he could see her cheeks were streaked with drying tears. He was the cause of those tears, at least in part, he realized sadly. He was contributing to her sadness, when he should have been helping to alleviate it.

He got up, leaving her to sleep, and vowed that he'd make things right tomorrow.

* * *

When Jack woke up the next morning, he was surprised to that the sun was already high in the sky. He sat up, looking to see if Kate was awake, but it soon became clear that he was alone.

* * *


	10. 10

* * *

Kate was almost half way back to the beach. Even in the shade of the trees, it was hot day, and she wished she had thought to bring some water. The relatively short hike seemed much longer than it had just a few days before. She'd be glad to get back to the beach. She planned on finding a secluded spot where no one would bother her and sleeping the day away. She hoped Jack wouldn't come looking for her. Judging by how mad he'd been the night before, he'd probably be glad to be rid of her.

* * *

Not again, Jack thought worriedly. Maybe he should have expected this from her, after their argument last night. Hadn't his mother always said 'never go to bed angry'? Well, he hadn't listened, and now Kate was gone. 

After pulling on some clothes, Jack grabbed a bottle of water and headed out of the cave. Hoping she hadn't been gone long, he decided to check and the pools first, in case she'd just decided on another swim.

* * *

Passing a fallen log, Kate briefly considered stopping to take a rest. She was getting frustrated by her body's weakness. She'd been walking less than twenty minutes, and already she was starting to feel drowsy and light headed. Suck it up, she told herself harshly. She couldn't afford to sit around, just in case Jack did decide to come after her. How lucky she'd been that he'd still been asleep when she woke up this morning. 

Lost in thought, Kate didn't notice that someone was approaching until she heard whistling and look up to see Sawyer not even ten feet away. She considered hiding in the trees, but it was too late. He'd already seen her.

"Caught ya, Freckles", he said jokingly, seeing her panic.

She sighed and stopped, waiting for him to meet her.

He reached her and gave took an appraising look, obviously wondering what she was doing.

* * *

Well, she wasn't at the pool as he'd hoped. She must be heading back to the beach, he knew. Jack picked up his pace and headed towards the beach, hoping to catch her before he got there.

* * *

"So," Sawyer asked casually, "what brings you out to this neck of the woods?" 

Kate motioned in the direction he'd come. "The beach"

"Ah," he said knowingly, dropping his full bag to the ground, "I get it. You missed me, huh?"

"Something like that" Kate laughed nervously; glad he didn't seem to be making a big deal of this.

Sawyer craned his neck, looking down the trail she'd come from. Kate quickly turned to see what he was looking at, but no one was there. Noting her response, Sawyer was pretty sure he knew what was going on.

"So, where' our fearless leader?"

"Jack? Oh, he's uh, at the cave I guess."

"Huh, and he knows about this? He said it was okay for you to go?"

"Sawyer," she said with frustration, looking behind her, clearly anxious to continue on her way, "in case you haven't noticed, I'm a big girl. I don't need his permission".

"Oh, I've noticed" Sawyer said with a sly smile.

Kate rolled her eyes and took a step to move past him. "Well, it was nice chatting Sawyer, but . . . hey what are you doing?

He'd grabbed her shoulders and stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "What's the hurry, Freckles? Why don't we sit down and chat for a few minutes? It looks like maybe you could use a breather."

Truth be told, it probably wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe it was partly because she was getting nervous, but she was really starting to get dizzy. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears, never a good feeling. "Don't worry about me Sawyer, I'll be fine."

"Well I am worried. You're starting to look like you did the other day, right before you passed out on me.

While this was true, Sawyer was also trying to stall her. Over her shoulder, he could see Jack heading down the trail towards them. He was hoping to hold her off until Jack reached them. Maybe together they could talk some sense into her.

"Really, Sawyer," she said, starting to get frustrated, "I'm fine, a little just tired. I'll rest when I get back to the beach." She started to pull away, but he held her tighter.

"What the hell, Sawyer? Let me go!"

At that moment, Kate felt another hand grip her shoulder tightly from behind. She knew who it was before he spoke.

"Kate, I've been looking for you. We need to talk".

At his voice, she dropped her head, seemingly giving up. Sensing this, the two men relaxed their grips on her. That had been her intention, and she used the opportunity. In one swift motion, she kicked Sawyer in the shin end elbowed Jack it the side. Both men let out surprised cries of pain, as Kate wrenched out of their grasps and ran away from them.

It didn't stop them for long, though. In what seemed like no time at all, they had her, now each grasping her firmly under an arm. She struggled and kicked, but couldn't get loose.

"Jesus Freckles, what the hell has gotten into you?"

She continued to struggle, gasping for breath. She didn't like to be restrained. It brought back too many bad memories. "Let me go! Please!" she begged.

"Kate. Kate." Jack said firmly. "You need to calm down. You're okay. No one is going to hurt you. We just want to talk to you". She continued to struggle, her breath coming in short gasps. This was not how Jack had hoped this would go.

"Kate", he warned, "you're making this harder than it needs to be".

Finally, she slumped slightly, letting them support her wait.

"Uh uh. Were not falling for that again" Sawyer remarked.

But Jack was pretty sure it wasn't a ploy this time. "Kate? If we let you go, do you promise to sit down and listen to me?"

She didn't respond, and he shook her gently. "Kate?" She nodded.

Sawyer looked at Jack doubtfully. "It's okay", Jack assured him.

They released her, and she sank down onto her hands and knees. Jack knelt down beside her and moved to rub her back, but she stiffened.

"Okay," he said, moving away from her, " I won't touch you. Just try to take some slow deep breaths, okay? Just like before, do you remember?"

Sawyer looked at them both with concern, finally realizing what was going on.

She didn't seem to be calming down, if anything she was getting more frantic. Although it was empty, her stomach rebelled, and she suddenly began retching. After looking to Jack, who was watching sadly but making no move to approach her again, Sawyer shrugged and decided to give it a shot.

He knelt beside her and placed a cautious hand on her back. When she didn't respond, he moved in, supporting her torso with one arm, and holding back her hair with his free hand. Jack watched solemnly, feeling guilty that they'd gotten her this upset.

Finally, when her stomach stopped its pointless spasms, Sawyer sank back on his knees, pulling her back to rest against his chest. He could feel her heart pounding and her harsh shuddering breaths. Not knowing what to do, Sawyer looked up to Jack, who handed him a water bottle.

"Here ya go" Sawyer said, lifting the bottle to her lips "do you want some water?" She drank it gratefully, and then let out a deep sigh.

"Better?" he asked. Her felt her nod against him.

After giving her a few minutes to calm down, Jack approached and knelt down in front of them. He called her name, but she didn't respond.

"Come on Kate," he urged, "you promised". Finally, she nodded, and he took that as an agreement to listen, even though she didn't look up.

Jack took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to begin. "We probably should have had this talka long time ago, but I guess it's going to have to happen now". He paused. "Kate, I'm not mad at you. I'm not now, and I never really was."

Sawyer was starting to get the feeling that this was probably not a conversation he was supposed to hear, but he couldn't exactly leave now.

Jack continued. "You have to understand, learning about. . . about your past, well, it took me by surprise. I needed time. But Kate, I know you. I know you're a good person, and I don't care about your past."

She looked up at him now, clearly surprised. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw hope in those glistening eyes of hers.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry that I made you feel like I didn't care, but Kate, I do care. I care very much."

She remained silent, and he watched her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Finally, she spoke.

"Are you saying this . . . are you just saying all of this to get me to go back with you?" she asked quietly.

"No" he assured her. "I'm not. I'm saying this because it's the truth and because I should have said it a long time ago. You believe me, don't you?"

Slowly, she nodded.

"But" he said, "I do want me to come back with you." At that, they both noticed her stiffen, and Jack knew it would be difficult to convince her.

"I won't force you, okay? But please just hear me out. "The other night, when it happened, Kate, it was really serious. You lost a lot of blood. You don't know, because you were unconscious, but by the time I got you back to the cave, we were both covered in your blood."

Sawyer felt her shudder at this, and her heart rate picked up. "Jack, maybe this isn't the best time for this", he advised.

"I know, but I think she needs to hear it". He continued, "Kate, you were losing a lot of blood, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. You just got lucky, so so lucky, that it stopped on its own. If we were back home, in a hospital, you would have had emergency surgery and a blood transfusion. You would have been put on IV fluids and given large doses of antibiotics. Since we're not at home," he went on, "we just have to do the best we can. You need to drink and eat and rest, give your body time to make up for the blood it lost. But Kate, you're not out of the woods yet. Any infection could be very dangerous, life threatening. Hopefully, with luck and the antibiotics I've been giving you, you'll pull through this just fine. But you have to work with me. You have to rest and eat and drink and let me check you over. And you really have to take those antibiotics. Do you understand now, why I got so angry last night when you wouldn't take the antibiotics? I was afraid. And it's because I care, Kate. And not just as a doctor. I just care. Do you understand?"

Breathless, Jack waited for some response. Finally, she nodded. She looked like she might cry, but rubbed her hands roughly against her eyes.

Jack could have cried himself, with relief. "Hey" he said softly, reaching for her shoulder. "It's okay. You can cry if you want to. You've had a rough time."

She shook her head, sniffling, and rubbed angrily at her eyes. "Kate, it's okay," he continued. "You don't have to be tough all the time, you know. We won't think any less of you."

She looked up again, her eyes meeting his, but didn't say anything.

"What, Kate?"

"Jack, please. I'm so tired" she closed her eyes.

"Can we take you back so you can rest?" he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. She nodded, and for once, didn't object as they picked her up.

* * *


	11. 11

Back at the cave, Kate barely stirred as they tucked her in. Sawyer watched over her while Jack went to the beach to check up on those who had been ill.

At the beach, Jack was encouraged that the worst of what appeared to have been a minor flu epidemic seemed to be passed. Only a couple of people were still sick, but even they seemed to be well on their way to recovery.

A wonderful smelling soup had been simmering over a fire on the beach, and he'd been promised that someone would bring some to the caves for him and Kate when it was ready. For now, he brought back a good-sized freshly caught fish and some fruit.

Kate was still sleeping soundly when he returned, no doubt exhausted from the morning's ordeal. He let her continue sleeping for a while longer after Sawyer had left. Eventually, he decided to wake her, wanting to give her another dose of antibiotics and hopefully some food as well. He hoped that what he'd said to her before had gotten through to her. Praying for the best, he shook her gently.

After some resistance, she began to stir. "Come on, Kate" he coaxed. "Open your eyes. It's time to wake up." With a slight grumble, she slowly opened her eyes and met his for a moment before looking away. He moved back slightly and gave he some space to wake up.

She sat up, gripping the blanket in an unconscious gesture of insecurity and hesitantly met eyes again. They both seemed unsure of where to begin.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, smiling, as she stifled a yawn. She nodded slowly.

He glanced anxiously towards the fire area, and then looked back at her. "So . . . antibiotics?"

She couldn't help but smile slightly at his expression of cautious hope, and she nodded slowly. He smiled in response and moved to grab the pills and some water. He held his breath until she had swallowed them, and let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Thank you, Kate".

She lowered her eyes and shook her head sadly. "Jack . . .", she said softly.

"What?" he asked, leaning in. "What is it?"

"Jack", she sighed. This wasn't easy.

"Don't thank me. I'm the one who should be thanking you. In spite of everything, you've taken care of me . . . and I know I haven't made it easy. I . . ."

"Kate," he began "It's okay. I . . ."

She shook her head. "Please Jack", she paused. "This isn't easy for me. I . . . I'm not good at this," she gestured indistinctly, shaking her head, at a loss for words.

"Not good at what, Kate?"

She sighed again. "At any of this. I'm not good at being sick, at being dependent on others, at trusting them, and I'm not good at apologizing", she said, her voice cracking at the end.

"Kate, you don't have to say anything. I know that. I understand"

"But . . ."

"No buts. Apology accepted, okay?" he said, holding out his hand for her to shake.

Slowly, she reached for it and smiled, sniffling. "Okay"

He squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. "So," he said, effectively closing the subject, how does some fish for lunch sound?" he asked, glancing towards the large fish he'd brought back with him from the beach.

She looked at it doubtfully, but nodded, not wanting to fight anymore.

Jack read her thoughts and smiled. "That good, huh?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "its just . . ."

"Hey, no more apologies," he warned. "I won't force you if you don't feel up to it. We have some mighty fine soup coming later, maybe that will sound better. How about just a little fruit for now?"

She nodded, clearly relieved, and he reached for a bunch of bananas, breaking one of for each of them. They ate in silence for a while. She ate a good portion of it before slowing down, and he took it from her, knowing she was done, and finished it himself. He got up to throw away their peels then returned to find her yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"Nap time?" he asked, moving to tuck her in.

She nodded, suppressing yet another yawn, and lied down, closing her eyes.

Kate slept for another hour or so, waking up in what must have been late afternoon.

Jack was glad to see her awake, but she was still very quite, only speaking when he asked her a direct question. He often caught her staring of into space, clearly lost in her thoughts.

It was clear to him that she was hurting, and he hoped that she would open up to him soon. Talking about what had happened - releasing all her pent up emotion, would be the best way for her to heal, he thought. He'd told her as much, offering to listen when she was ready, but so far she had remained silent, and he didn't want to push her.

Tired of spending so much time inside the dark cave, Kate yearned to be outdoors. Suspecting this, Jack offered that she might want to sit by the rocks just outside the cave for a while and enjoy the rest of the day's sunlight. She jumped at the suggestion and let him walk her out.

After making sure she was comfortable, Jack left her to her thoughts, telling her to holler if she needed anything, although he knew she wouldn't.

When Jack went back into the cave, Kate sighed and turned her face skyward, trying to soak up the rays or warm sunlight that filtered through the forest canopy. It did feel good to be outside again. She couldn't wait until she could go back to her usual daily activities. She missed hiking into the forest, tree climbing, and gardening. It gave her a sense of purpose and a way to occupy her mind, to keep the bad memories a bay.

Kate was so lost in thought; she barely noticed when a person approached the cave. Rose had noticed Kate, though, and was concerned for the younger woman who seemed so disconnected.

"Hi Jack," Rose greeted, entering the cave holding a covered container. "I brought you two some soup for dinner".

Jack accepted it gratefully, putting it down by the fire. "Thanks for bringing it Rose. It smelled so good when it was cooking earlier. I'm hoping it will pique Kate's appetite".

"How is she doing?" Rose asked, sitting down.

"She's doing better, but still a little weak. She just needs food and rest, that's all. That bug that's been going around just hit her hard."

"Mmhmm," Rose nodded, looking him in the eye appraisingly. "Well, I'm glad she's gonna be alright". The way she was looking at him made Jack a little uncomfortable. Something gave him the impression that she could see through his lies.

"Well, I'd better head back to the beach before it starts to get dark. Enjoy your dinner".

"Will do. Thanks again, Rose", Jack said as she headed toward the mouth of the cave. He saw her pause and turn to him again.

"I think I'll say hello to Kate, if you don't mind" she said.

"You're welcome to try, Rose, but she's been pretty withdrawn lately," Jack warned, turning to the fire to start their soup heating.


	12. 12

* * *

Jack stoked the fire and started the soup heating, then headed to tell Kate that dinner would be ready soon. The sight that greeted him when he reached the mouth of the cave stopped him dead in his tracks. 

Kate was sobbing with abandon into Rose's arms while Rose rocked her, whispering soft words that Jack couldn't make out. He stood there for a moment, taking in the scene.

He'd never seen her like this. He'd seen her upset before, seen her cry even, but he'd never seen her reach out like this and accept support and comfort. For a moment, he felt a surge of pain and disappointment. He wanted to be the one she turned to, the one to hold her.

He pushed back those feelings, realizing that this was what he had hoped for, exactly what she needed. It didn't matter who she opened up to, what mattered was that she opened up to someone. He watched for moment longer and then turned, heading back into the cave. Dinner could wait.

* * *

Not long after, Jack looked up to see Kate entering the cave. He studied her closely. Her eyes were slightly puffy, perhaps, but if he hadn't known she'd been crying a few minutes ago, he probably wouldn't have guessed. She'd gotten herself under control quickly. 

"How are you doing Kate?"

She smiled slightly at his concern. "I'll be fine Jack," she said, heading towards him and sitting down by the fire.

"Kate, I know you'll be fine. What I'm asking is how you are right now."

Kate sighed. "Right now, I think I'm doing okay".

He looked at her, as if not completely convinced.

"Really, Jack. At this moment, I feel okay. I can't make any guarantees for later, but for now, I'd say the risk of a major meltdown is pretty low."

"Fair enough", Jack laughed, glad to see her sense of humor returning.

"So," she said, eyeing the pot bubbling over the fire, "Rose brought us some soup?"

"Yeah, she did. You up for some?"

Kate nodded. "It smells good. I'm actually pretty hungry", she said, sounding surprised.

"I'm not surprised. It's been quite a while since you've had anything substantial", he said, scooping some out for her.

"Here you go", he said as he handed her a steaming bowl. "Dig in".

They ate in companionable silence, enjoying the meal. Jack finished his bowl and noticed Kate's was nearly empty as well.

"Good stuff, huh?"

Kate looked up and nodded.

After refilling his own bowl Jack asked, "How about a refill?"

Kate considered for moment a nodded, handing Jack her bowl. "Okay, but just a little".

When hey had both finished their second helping, Jack put aside their bowls and handed her the antibiotics and some water.

"Do you mind if I check you over real quick?" he asked after she'd downed the pills.

* * *

"Kate," he said, sitting down beside her, "I think you're well on you're way to recovery". 

Kate smiled hopefully, "Does that mean I can go back to the beach?"

Jack frowned. "I'd feel better if you'd let me keep an eye on you for a little longer."

Kate nodded, clearly disappointed.

"Hey" he said, meeting her eyes, "I know it's no fun being stuck in a cave all the time, but I just want to be absolutely sure you're okay, and I don't want you doing too much too soon."

She rolled her eyes.

"Come on Kate, I know you. As soon as you're out of my sight you'll be off climbing trees and blazing trails and who knows what else. You're going to have to take it slow. It'll be a while yet until you're back to 100 percent. Do you understand?"

"I guess" Kate said sadly, looking down at her feet.

He couldn't stand to see her so unhappy. He reached for her chin, tilting her face, looking into her eyes.

"Kate, it isn't forever".

She nodded, but didn't look convinced.

Jack sighed, "Tell you what. How about we take a little hike tomorrow morning, if you feeling up to it, and see how you do?"

She looked at him thoughtfully and nodded. "I'd like that".

* * *

Kate hadn't been tired, so Jack had suggested a game of cards. As it turned out, Kate was quite a card player, and Jack was glad they hadn't been playing for money. 

He dealt another hand and looked up when she made no move to pick up her cards.

"Is something on your mind, Kate?" he asked, putting down his cards.

She looked at him and nodded. "Jack, I . . ." she paused and shook her head.

"What is it, Kate? Did you want to ask me something?"

She nodded again and took a long breath before speaking.

"I was just wondering if . . . well, do you think that if I had told you . . . if I had come to you right away and told you about the baby that this . . . this might not have happened?"

"Kate, oh Kate", he sighed shaking his head sadly. Clearly this was something that had been on her mind for some time. He should have realized it would be; should have discussed it with her sooner.

She looked at him, confused.

"The answer is no, Kate. I don't think it would have made any difference at all. It wasn't anything that you did or didn't do. It would have happened even if you'd been at home and had perfect prenatal care, although it would have been a lot less dangerous for you."

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Jack reached for her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "I'm pretty sure, Kate. It isn't your fault. You have to know that. I'm sorry I didn't make this more clear to you earlier. I should have known you'd wonder."

Kate sniffled and squeezed his hand back. "It's okay Jack. Thanks for telling me now. It helps to know, I guess."

They sat in silence for a moment, each thinking. Jack was the first to break the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

Kate shrugged, "yeah, I guess".

"Why didn't you tell anyone about the baby? Why did you feel you had to keep it a secret? It's not as if a baby is such a horrible thing."

"It was for me, Jack."

"You don't want children?"

"God, not like this. Believe it or not" she laughed, "not so long ago I had a pretty normal life; I guess I wanted kids someday, but recently . . ." she shook her head sadly. "Jack, my life has been one disaster after another." She paused, but he urged her to continue.

"This, and the plane crash,they've just been the icing on an already really big cake. I can't even recognize my life. It all fell apart so quickly. I never could have imagined I'd end up where I am. And I don't just mean on this island". She looked at him, at a loss for words.

"I know what you mean, Kate".

"What about you?" she asked. "Do you want children someday?"

"I don't know" Jack admitted. "I think it would be nice someday, with the right person and the right circumstances."

Kate nodded. "That's just it. It wasn't the right circumstances for me, and it wasn't the right . . . It just wasn't right".

"Kate?" Jack asked cautiously, "Who is it? Who's the father?"

She stared at him, but remained silent.

"Is it someone on this island?

She didn't answer.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business. I just. . ."

"It's okay, Jack. It's just that . . . well, he's dead."

"Dead?"

Kate nodded. Jack thought for a moment. Suddenly, he remembered that day by the waterfall, when they'd just opened the case._

* * *

"It belonged to the man I loved._

_It belonged to the man I killed."

* * *

_

"You killed him?" Jack asked hesitantly, trying not to sound accusatory. 

Kate shook her head sadly and looked straight into his eyes. "No, Jack. You did."

* * *


	13. 13

_

* * *

Thanks for all of the very nice reviews, and congrats to those of you who figured it out. I wassurprised thatmore of you didn't._

* * *

"Kate," he warned, "what are you talking about?" 

"I'm not lying, Jack. Think about it."

She was looking at him pleadingly, but he was at a loss. He shook his head and raked his hands through his hair. "What the Hell?" he thought. She had to be lying, of course, but she didn't look like she was.And why would she make up a lie as absurd as this? Then, suddenly, he knew. Kate saw the moment of realization in his eyes.

"The Marshall." It was somewhere between a question and a statement, but he knew he was right. He had to be.

She nodded and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She lowered her eyes, not wanting to see the look on his face when he made his next realization.

"God, Kate," he hesitated, hoping it wasn't true, but knowing it was, "he raped you, didn't he?"

For what seemed like a long time, she didn't respond, and Jack began to wonder if she'd heard him at all. Then, slowly, she raised her head and looked at him. "Yeah, he did."

"That son of a bitch!" Jack whispered angrily. "I should have let him suffer".

Kate reached for his hand. "No, Jack. You did the right thing. I, I couldn't do it, but you did the right thing."

He squeezed her hand and looked at her questioningly. "Why didn't you? After what he did to you, a lot of people wouldn't blame you".

"I would have. As much as part of me wanted to do it, I just couldn't. I can't say I was sad that you did, though. I don't know if I could have taken it if he'd lived. Seeing him everyday . . ." She shuddered.

He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. "He's gone now. You never have to see him again".

"Hmmph" Kate chuckled sadly. "That's what I thought after you buried him, but . . ." He knew what she meant. Together, they had dug up the Marshall to get the key to the silver briefcase. She had seen him again.

"I guess getting into that briefcase must have been pretty important to you, huh?" Although phrased as a question, Kate recognized that he wasn't asking for an explanation. She'd shared a lot with him tonight, and he wouldn't push her any further.

"Yes."

He smiled slightly, nodding, and gave her shoulder a gentle pat before reaching for his cards. "You're up".

* * *


	14. 14

* * *

Kate breathed in the moist earthy air as they walked through the forest the next morning. It occurred to her that she hadn't felt this content in a while. She was glad thatshe had confided in Jack and that their tentative relationship seemed to be on the mend.

Jack walked behind her in silence, letting her set the pace and enjoy her surroundings. They were heading to the garden she and Sun had been working on. She missed her time there and was anxious to see how things had grown in her absence.

* * *

After a few brief breaks at Jack's insistence, they reached the garden, finding Sun hard at work.

"Hi Sun" Kate said as they approached. "It's looking great". Sun smiled in return, but didn't speak until she was sure that they were alone.

"It is." She looked at Kate appraisingly. "And you are looking better than before"

"I'm feeling better", Kate agreed, moving to get to work.

"But you are still very pale," Sun said, reaching for her wrist to stop her. "Sit down here," she motioned to a rock, "and I'll show you what I've been doing".

Kate looked to Jack for support, but he just smiled and motioned towards the rock. Kate tossed him a dirty look and sat down with a slight grumble. Jack couldn't help but laugh.

Sun showed them the small seedlings that were sprouting up and told them about some new seeds she had planted. As they left, Kate promised to be back soon to help.

* * *

By the time they had almost reached the pool, Kate was tired and hot. Hearing her labored breathing, Jack suggested they sit down for a while. This time she didn't object, but sank down gratefully on a rock near the waterfall. Jack knelt down in front of her, took her pulse and looked her at her carefully.

"I'm okay." She assured him. "Just hot, tired, and frustrated with myself".

"I know," Jack said, getting up and sitting next to her, "but it will get better. Just give it time". Kate nodded and reached down to run her hand through the water.

"You know," he said, watching her hand, "you couldn't ask to be in a nicer place on a hot day. How does a swim sound?"

Her eyes lit at the suggestion, and Jack's heart sped at the sight. He stood up and turned around, letting her shed her clothes, and turned back around when her heard her splash into the water.

"This is heaven," she said, facing away from him as he got in. Jack got in quietly, looking her over critically. He could only see part of her back and her shoulders, but it was enough. She'd lost more weight than he'd realized. It had to be more than recent events; she obviously hadn't been eating well for some time. He'd have to make sure she was eating enough from now on.

She sank down further and turned to look at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled. "God, this really does feel good".

The floated quietly for sometime, enjoying the cool water.

"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, nothing really."

"I doubt that's true. You haven't said a thing in ten minutes".

Kate sighed. "I don't know. I guess I was just thinking about how quickly things change. So has happened since the last couple of times I was here. I don't know. What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah," she said, swimming closer "you've been just as quiet. What were you thinking about?"

"You want the truth?" he asked, looking her in the eye. She nodded.

"I've been thinking about how badly I want to kiss you right now."

* * *


	15. 15

_Sorry I took so long in getting this chapter out. Thanks for the reminders. Just to let you know, I probably won't be able to update again until this quarter is over in late June. I've got lots of work piled up._

* * *

Kate's eyes widened, and she pulled back with a quiet gasp and then turned her back to him. Jack sighed. 

"You asked for the truth," he said plainly.

"I know," she admitted softly "but I didn't expect that".

"And does it repulse you, or scare you?" he asked, moving closer. She didn't answer.

"Kate?" he prompted.

"The second" she admitted, her back still towards him.

"Well, that we can work on". He saw her tense. "Don't worry. I won't push you. For now, just think about it, okay?"

She nodded and turned slowly around to face him. "Okay".

He smiled with relief, and then looked at her critically. "You're cold. Let's head back. I think you've had enough excitement for this morning".

* * *

They didn't talk much on the way back to the cave. When they got there, Kate went straight for the row of seats while Jack rummaged around for something. 

Antibiotics, water, and food in hand, Jack turned to see Kate curled up on the seats. Juggling his load, he grabbed a blanket as well and headed towards her.

"Hey" he said, putting down the things and urging her into a sitting position. She willingly took the pills he offered and washed them down with the water, but she ignored the food, moving to lie back down instead.

"Kate, you need to eat something, you know". She yawned in response, and he moved to cover with the blanket.

"Later," she assured him, eyes already closing. "I just want to sleep for a little while".

Jack sighed and reached to brush a curl away from her face. "I think I let you do a little more than you were ready for today", he apologized.

She smiled slightly a reached for his hand. "No, it was nice. I needed that." She stifled another yawn, "Thank you".

"You're welcome," he said, bringing her hand to his lips. "Get some sleep".

* * *

"So how's the patient?" Sawyer asked as he approached the cave, finding Jack sitting outside. 

"Better. She's got a ways to go before she's back to one hundred percent, but I think she's getting there. She's going to be alright."

"Good to hear" Sawyer said with a smile. "I've missed being able to get her all riled up".

Jack shook his head. "Go easy on her for a little while longer, Sawyer, will you?" Sawyer nodded.

"Why did you always insist on antagonizing her, anyway?" Jack questioned.

"I don't know, entertainment?" Jack cast him a skeptical look

"Hell, I don't know" Sawyer sighed. "I guess it was nice to be the recipient of her attention, positive or negative. I figured I was a lot more likely to be able to get the negative, I guess."

"Well, I think maybe that's changed now, don't you? You've been good to her these past few days. I'm sure she appreciates it".

"Maybe" Sawyer considered, picking up a stick and playing with it. "I feel kind of bad that I've been so tough on her. I can't believe she was pregnant the whole time".

"I know what you mean," Jack agreed sadly. "I can't believe it either. She's good at keeping secrets." He paused, "I was hard on her too, in a different way, but we can't change that now. What's done is done. The only thing we can do is be there for her now."

"I guess you're right."

"She's doing better, and she's anxious to get back to the beach. I'll need you to help me keep an eye on her".

"I doubt she'll appreciate that. What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Kate felt like she'd just closed her eyes, yet already someone was trying to wake her. She rolled over with a groan, hoping whoever it was would go away. 

She heard Sawyer chuckle, "Come on, Freckles, time to rise and shine" he coaxed. She shook her head, refusing.

"Sorry," he said, gently forcing her into a sitting position, "doctor's orders. Lunch is almost ready and Jack says you gotta eat."

"What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and looking around the cave.

"Late afternoon".

"Where's J-- . . . ?", she started to ask.

"Good, you're up" Jack said, walking into the cave with a load of firewood. "Let's eat".

* * *

They chatted while they ate, and although Jack tried to be discreet, Kate knew he was watching how much she ate. When she'd eaten her fill she held her plate up for Jack to see. "Does it pass inspection? Am I done? " She asked jokingly. 

"Busted!" Sawyer, laughed.

Jack laughed too, but looked a little embarrassed. "Yeah Kate, you're fine."

"Good" she said with a decisive nod, putting the plate down.

"So," Sawyer said, "I hear you had a little outing this morning".

Kate smiled and nodded. "It was so nice to be outside again. Staring at the walls of the cave gets old pretty quickly, you know?" She turned to Jack. "Can we go again tomorrow?"

"Actually, I had something else in mind". At her look of disappointment, Jack clarified. "Kate, you're doing really well. Whenever you feel ready, I think it would be fine if you moved back to the beach".

"Seriously?" Kate asked hopefully. At Jack's nod, Kate's face broke out in a beautiful smile that made his heart ache.

"Seriously".

"When can I go?" She asked excitedly.

"Whenever you want."

"Tomorrow, then." She said with a happy sigh.

"Tomorrow" Jack agreed. Although Kate didn't notice, Sawyer saw that Jack didn't seem to share her enthusiasm.

* * *


End file.
